The following interview was conducted by Christopher Friesen of Book Pleasures.com, in June of 2006.
Read more at:
(http://www.bookpleasures.com/Lore2/idx/0/2140/article/Brian_Doe_and_Phillip_Harris_Authors_of_Waking_God_Interviewed.html)
WAKING GOD is the first book in a trilogy of supernatural thrillers, due out in July 2006. Co-authors Brian Doe and Philip Harris were several chapters into writing book two when I interviewed them.
Christopher:
What are your respective religious backgrounds?
Philip:
My very early religious background was Baptist (Northern, not Southern). From High school on I did not attend church but spent a lot of time studying various religious beliefs.
Brian:
I was born and raised a Roman Catholic, and at the age of 9, my mother thought it wise to follow in the footsteps of every male in the family and she enrolled me in the altar server program. I was very much in awe of the faith, and as a high school student, debated entering the seminary. Shortly after, however, I became disillusioned with the Church and its corruptive undertone and progressively removed myself from it.
Christopher:
WAKING GOD takes an anti-religious (not anti-supernatural, anti-god, etc.) stance through its main character and its conclusion. Was that deliberate? Is there an agenda here? Or is it just an element of the story?
Philip:
I appreciate the way that you asked this question because it indicates that one of the main points of the novel was made clear to the reader. The book is very pro-spirituality, pro-humanity and pro-God. There is a deliberate effort to be critical of religious institutions vis-a-vis the adherents of those institutions. Most religious institutions have, in my opinion, greatly strayed from the messages of those who sought to enlighten humanity. One only needs to listen to the daily news to see how organized religions are a divisive force in today's world, not to mention their historical blunders. The agenda is to get people to question whether or not these organizations are actually playing a positive and constructive role in solving the world's problems or are they an underlying cause of those problems. There can be no question that religious organizations are under siege and in turmoil and I believe rightfully so. I think that we are entering a new Reformation and it my intent to help it along. There is an incident in the early life of Andrew in the book regarding a Catholic friend who was forbidden to attend a craft group that met in the basement of a Baptist church. This was one of my early real life encounters with the divisiveness of dogma.
Brian:
Perhaps a common misconception of the work is that it portrays ideas and elements of spirituality in a negative way. The fact of the matter, however, is that the novel is very much pro-spirituality, pro-humanity, and pro-God. This is not to say that the novel is pro-religion. Waking God offers that religion, as an institution, may exist to mislead and misinform. It is not enough to suggest that we have an agenda, without asking ourselves whether institutional religion has its own agenda. But if you insist, any agenda that we may have is only the desire to motivate people to question their religion and to seek the truth within themselves.
Christopher:
I thought WAKING GOD contextualized and explained, in terms of the story, different belief systems quite well. However you seemed to ignore contextualizing or explaining “unbelief” in terms of the story and the ideas presented. Is there a reason for this?
Philip:
If by this you mean atheism, you are right, we did not delve into this line of thought. We are all victims of own beliefs and as a Gnostic my experience does not support atheism. I believe that even current quantum physics supports the unified theory of life and at some point they will conclude that there is also a unifying intelligence behind and apart of all that exists. Readers are encouraged to see the movie, WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW to get an idea of where science is heading in this regard.
Brian:
If the suggestion here is that we did not care to deal with atheism, you are correct. We do not hold the notion of “no God,” nor did the Gnostics on whose philosophies we clearly dwelt. Certainly a consciousness drives us all, and the blueprint inherent in all things is not accidental. In fact, nothing occurs by accident or coincidence.
Christopher:
WAKING GOD blazes across many mystical locations, did you visit any of these places during the lead up to or writing of this book?
Philip:
I have not been to these specific locations but Brian has spent a great deal of time at the ruins in Mexico. At some point, I hope to personally visit all of these locations.
Brian:
We visited many in our imaginations, which were only made stronger in the intense and voluminous research that we did while writing the novel. I have visited Chichen Itza, as well as Coba, Labnal, Merida, Tulum, and many more ancient Mayan sites. I have always felt a deep connection and affinity for these places, and I was ultimately compelled to suggest that we conclude the first book in Chichen Itza. It is interesting to note, however, that though Chichen Itza is the only site actually visited by either of us (with the exception, of course, of Boston, Salem, etc.), none of the sites dealt with in the book betrays a sense of unfamiliarity to the writers. It’s as if we have been to each and every one.
Christopher:
Philip, at the back of the book, your bio states that you are “a member of several mystical, fraternal organizations,” which ones?
Philip:
In the "public" realm, I am affiliated with a Rose Cross (Rosicrucian) and a Templar organization. I have also been associated with Tarot and Gnostic groups as well as numerous spiritual study organizations. I should add that most of what is publicly written about mystical fraternal organizations needs more in depth research.
Christopher:
Brian, do you belong to any?
Brian:
I do not, which makes for an interesting relationship with Philip. We have always upheld the fact that as a team we are incredibly balanced. I am forever questioning his esoteric and mystical ideas, and he relies on my “institutional religious” background, always offering interesting and highly plausible alternatives to accepted dogma.
Christopher:
Do these memberships affect the ideas or message you intend in your writing?
Philip:
We are all products of our backgrounds and belief systems. There is no direct connection between what I wrote and any specific group. My beliefs are an amalgam of many years of study and seeking. I feel that it is a shame that religious organizations do not encourage the study of other belief systems.
Christopher:
Tell me about the collaboration process, did you plot the story together, then each take sections or chapters and write separately. Did you write collectively?
Philip:
We drove each other crazy. I am not a linear thinker or writer. Once we came up with the story idea we just let the concept simmer for a while. We did not come up with a list of characters and we did not outline chapters and we were not even sure how the book was going to start or end. I would write a chapter that just came from inspiration and show it to Brian who used to be a little linear. He would ask where the chapter went in the book and I would say, "I don't know, it just needs to be in there." This kind of drove him insane at the beginning. The story was written in blocks of concepts and the characters and plot emerged on their own. Somehow the pieces began to come together and then as we saw the story emerge, it became easier to actually write chapters in sequence. Although, the sequencing did not really emerge until we were at the tail end of the book. We were very amazed at the relative closeness of writing styles; being on a similar philosophical page enabled the novel to almost creates itself. We never sat down and wrote a chapter together and Brian did an excellent job of providing the transitions and links for the chapters.
Brian:
One of the most difficult ventures in my life was writing this book collaboratively. Arguments occurred, we disagreed stylistically and technically, and atone point I even tried to drop the whole ordeal into Philip’s lap, promising only to edit the manuscript when he finished. Obviously, he did not allow that to happen. Though we were overjoyed with what eventually turned into Waking God, we certainly needed somewhat of a vacation from each other afterward. But as one of my closest friends, we forged a new kind of bond in the process, and one that is rarely experienced between human beings.
Christopher:
Will you collaborate again on a fiction piece?
Philip:
This was probably not clear in the manuscript that I sent you but WAKING GOD is a trilogy. We are already 7-8 chapters into Book II. So if the end confused you a little - that is why – she is not done yet!
Brian:
Though I tend to get heartburn thinking about it, we have entered the anomalous world of the “trilogy,” which requires that understanding of working together. But more seriously, we work well together, and we intend to work collaboratively even after all of Waking God has been divulged.
Christopher:
How much formal research did you conduct during the preparation of your manuscript?
Philip:
Both Brian and I are avid readers. My personal library has close to a thousand books. Many of my books are esoteric in nature so a great deal of the research was at hand. A lot of time was spent reviewing material and the internet, despite all of its issues, is a great source of information on places that a writer may not have the resources to visit
Brian:
Volumes. We had separate files on not only each location, but also on various interpretations, understandings, and views of the spiritual elements presented in the book. The files are dwarfed, however, in comparison to the number of books Philip had access to alone. As continual readers, we delved into many texts, only hints of which we can now recall.
Christopher:
You published through Star Publish, an author subsidized publishing company. Did you shop your manuscript around traditional publishers first and if so, how many?
Philip:
It is almost no longer accepted practice to submit directly to a publisher; especially for new authors since it is the “who do you know” game. Almost all but the small presses require submittals through an agent. We probably sent queries to a hundred agents. Almost all sent us the usual "thanks and good luck letter" and several were very encouraging but even they are reluctant to pick up new writers. It is a hard business to break into. We tried probably a dozen big publishers but we are still waiting for a response. I would like to add that at the time we were about to choose a publisher we were made an offer from what some would call a traditional publishing house. We opted to go with Star Publish. Aside from the obvious literary control, I checked with previous Star authors and their comments were impressive. We ended up in daily contact with the owner, any and all questions were answered, we received word for word professional editing, a great cover and she put us in contact with many other writers and professional groups. Even now we are in daily contact about not only our book but press releases, marketing, etc. They really gave and still give personal attention to their authors.
Brian:
Philip answers this one well for the both of us, but it should be noted that one of our considerations in finding a publisher was to locate a small, independent house. We truly believe that there is need to support these publishing ventures since the “big boys” of the industry, so to speak, are so down on new authors. Star Publish, by the way, would argue with your interpretation of it as being “author subsidized.” We actually only paid for professional editing, and at a fair price as well.
Christopher:
What was the response?
Philip:
"Good luck, hope you will find someone to publish your book."
Brian:
“Good luck. Some other agency/publisher would better serve your work, etc.”
Christopher:
What has your experience with the publishing industry been like?
Philip:
I believe that too much is in the hands of too few. In determining which way to go with the novel we came across many wonderful authors with great books that will not see the light of the bookstore shelf due to their topic or the fact that they too are first time authors. This leaves new writers at the hands of publishing predators and it also means that the Big Houses control what is being read. That, to me, is a frightening thought. With all of their millions I do not understand why the big publishers do not have "first time author divisions" or some way to open their doors to new writers. Thank God for Predators and Editors, they really sort through the good from the bad.
Brian:
The publishing industry unfortunately is still being controlled by the few who make the rules for the many. In a scenario like this, new authors are almost always sacrificed in the process. In time, I believe that the nation’s largest and most powerful publishing companies will be manufacturing only textbooks for the general public. After all, they are mirrored well in those organized religions that are too big to change, and too stubborn to realize their impending demise.
Christopher:
Tell me about your respective writing backgrounds, how long, type of writing, etc…?
Philip:
Mine is totally different than Brian's. In my bio you will see that I spent a lot of time in government service. This means writing reports that most people can't understand. I tried writing a novel in the early 80's and it was really good, if you liked to read a book written by a bureaucrat. My writing style opened up the more I delved into mysticism. Being good at visualization it finally dawned on me to write with the details, feelings and emotions that were in my imagination. Now I see the scene and become the characters before I attempt to write anything.
Brian:
I went to college to become formally trained in writing, and received a degree in writing from St. Lawrence University. I later received a Masters degree and entered education, where I teach English. I had a book titled Barley and Gold published in 2001. As a writing major, and as an English teacher, I am always surrounded by the craft.
Christopher:
Which authors have inspired you two the most?
Philip:
H. Spencer Lewis, who wrote on mystical topics that inspired me to want to share my thoughts. And this is terrible but I read a book in the 60's called THE SECRET, but I do not remember the author. It was about an architect who concluded that he had to use guerilla warfare tactics to fight what to him was a closed circle of designers and builders. Not in the violent sense but rather he would design and build something different and run, before the architectural world condemned his work.
Brian:
Nathaniel Hawthorne, for his dark sense of the human spirit and its tendency to “sin.” His journeys into the center of the human spirit greatly influenced my own writing. I may even have been him in some past life.
Christopher:
What is it about writing that keeps you coming back to the computer every day?
Philip:
To me, thoughts become things when imbued with emotion and desire. When I hen peck my words onto the screen it is the next step in realizing some of my thoughts and ideas.
Brian:
The willingness to create and the compulsion to destroy. Writing is subversive; it exists to tear down conventionality and tradition and to leave the waste to reform into something totally different. This building of thought and idea is not matched in any other forum. But perhaps above all, writing has helped me to realize myself and my own ideas. Waking God, for instance, was not only a writing challenge for me, but also a spiritual journey that opened me to ideas and thoughts that changed the way I view my own reality as well as my special kinship to all of humanity.
Thank you both for taking the time to discuss your work with me. I wish you much success with WAKING GOD.
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The following interview appeared in The Fabulist Flash, Issue 100 on August 10, 2006
